'Take a risk, work hard'
Former student took his advisor's words to heart

Tim Beyer prepares for a timber sale in the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest.

Tim Beyer (B.S. 1984; M.S. 1989) is a man who listened to his academic advisor: "Take a risk, work hard-you can choose where you want to go." Tim attributes these words of wisdom to Prof. Ray Guries, spoken 20-plus years ago but still relevant. Tim followed this advice and his career appears to have benefited from it. He currently is the DNR Forester for Sheboygan County (his birthplace) and the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest.

After completing his undergraduate degree Tim worked in the area of private non-industrial forestry in Michigan and Wisconsin before returning to graduate school. After completing a Master's degree, Tim spent a decade on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington working for the Quinault Nation. Five years ago he returned to Wisconsin as Superintendent of the Black River State Forest before moving to his current position in 2004.

Tim says his work is a mix of public education, private landowner assistance, and managing the 30,000-acre state forest. "One day I am working on forest health issues with a private landowner, the next I'm giving a presentation on Forest Certification, and the next I'm putting together a timber sale on the state forest," says Tim. The position also offers opportunities for applied research and evaluating past management practices. Tim is very enthusiastic about his current position, so you might wonder if there is anything negative about his job. When asked, Tim responds: "Ticks, poison ivy, and prickly ash!"

Tim completed a summer internship as an undergraduate that helped shape the direction of his career. He worked in Iowa County, Wisconsin, in private forestry. He says he had great mentors, learned a lot about forest management, and, perhaps most importantly, learned to listen. He believes it's easy to come out of school and tell folks what they should do, but learning to listen to a client's goals and then applying your knowledge to make them happen is what leads to customer satisfaction.

Today, Tim is the one hiring students with new degrees and he pointed out a few characteristics he looks for in a prospective employee. "From my experience, a well-rounded (highly employable) forester has a solid background in forest management, has excellent public speaking and writing skills, has knowledge of business, is comfortable with GIS technology, and is willing to work to gain experience," says Tim. He also advises students not to close employment doors if, for example, the job is in a small town, or is too far to commute, or the job appears too limiting. He returns to Prof. Guries' advice: "Take a risk, work hard-you can choose where you want to go."